If little red Porsches are for emasculated middle-aged men and monster trucks are for tattooed mullet-heads in muscle shirts, what rides do cool guys roll in? The answer idles among the cars in the ninth annual Rocky Mountain Rod and Custom Show. Today, tomorrow and Sunday, gearheads and speed freaks can converge to gaze upon hot rods, custom cars, motorcycles and lowriders, some displayed for gawking and some for sale. Check out the 1959 Indy-winning roadster driven by multi-champion Roger Ward, or the legendary Kugas roadster that raced the dry lakes decades ago. How about those custom Fords and the models T and A, with the 1932, '34 and '40 presented as chopped and blinged Franken-rods, or restored to their original glory?

If that lane isn't up your alley, try the "Babes' Boutique," offering a little entertainment for those who sit shotgun, or the art show, which includes automotive renderings by the genre's most famous practitioners, as well as fifteen paintings paired with the vehicles that inspired them.

Stationed at the National Western Complex, 4655 Humboldt Street, this vehicular circus will feel right at home. Today and tomorrow the eye candy is on display from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday is from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entry costs $12, and kids under twelve get in free, so bring a child's seat.

The Matrix was supposed to be a cautionary tale. But despite its grim warnings about our dependence on technology, wouldn't it be cool to hook yourself up to a machine and enter a world where the lines between computer and consciousness are blurred? Dr. Kurt Smith thinks so. That's why he invented Bio-Feedback and the Wild Divine, a virtual-reality video game that's the focus of an interactive exhibit tonight at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, 1750 13th Street in Boulder. From 6 to 9 p.m., visitors can be wired to Smith's patented hardware, which registers body processes such as respiration and heart rate and translates them into on-screen images and sounds. Unlike Neo and crew, though, you won't be throwing kung-fu punches or shooting guns. The Wild Divine is a quest for enlightenment that allows the participant to navigate successive levels of scenarios and characters based on Eastern and Celtic myths. Sound a little new-agey? Well, so did The Matrix.

Admission is $5, free if you're a member of BMOCA. Visit www.boulderdigitalarts. com or call 303-443-2122 for information. -- Jason Heller

Family-Free ZoneTHURS 11/24

This Thanksgiving, instead of the same old eat-turkey-until-you-can't-move routine, blow off the family and bastardize the holidays with An Orphan Thanksgiving at the Donkey Den, 1105 Lincoln Street, and Gavi, the brand-new restaurant next door. Drink all day for $20, get a traditional Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings and a Patrón margarita for $30, or bet the house at $65 for a fancy-pants four-course meal, glass of wine and reserved seating at Gavi. (Save $20 off each meal by registering early.) A host of tourneys -- including darts, billiards, Beer Pong, Texas Hold 'Em and Xbox -- will take place throughout the day. The sacrilege starts at 2 p.m. and runs until bar close, though they stop serving dinner at 10 p.m. Get more information at 303-832-4100 or www.orphanthanksgiving.com. -- Drew Bixby

The days following Thanksgiving have been called many things: the Weekend of Wrestling With Christmas Lights; the Weekend of Digestion and Degeneration; the Weekend of Flatulence and Football. Never before has it been called the Weekend of Destruction. Then again, the Front Range has never before had a two-day demolition derby featuring two 25-foot-tall robots dueling for Thanksgiving leftovers. Today and tomorrow at the Budweiser Events Center, 5290 Arena Circle in Loveland, dozens of determined drivers from four states will reduce each other's cars to rubble while vying for cash prizes and trophies. And if that isn't enough, Galactron and Reptar the space robots will shoot rockets and breathe fire as they battle for world supremacy. Whatever that means. Tickets are $15, $8 for kids under twelve; both shows start at 7:30 p.m. Get more information at www.budweisereventscenter.com or by calling 1-970-619-4106. -- Drew Bixby

Get the Events Newsletter

What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.